Sam Abell
Illustration — Sam Abell in San Miguel de Allende (2016) Sam Abell (born February 19, 1945) is an American photographer known for his frequent publication of photographs in National Geographic.
Sam Abell
Christopher Michel · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Born
- 1945 · Sylvania.
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- photographer
- Fields
- photography
- Education
- University of Kentucky
- Honours
- International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum · honorary doctor of the University of Toledo
- Languages
- English
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Illustration — Sam Abell in San Miguel de Allende (2016) Sam Abell (born February 19, 1945) is an American photographer known for his frequent publication of photographs in National Geographic.
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Sam Abell (born 1945) is a photographer, of American nationality. The photographer was born in Sylvania.
Sam Abell was educated at University of Kentucky. The photographer worked for National Geographic. Activity centred on photography.
Languages used include English. Honours include honorary doctor of the University of Toledo and International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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wikidata · Q2216332 · wikipedia · Sam Abell
In this article
Life
Life
Sam Abell studied at University of Kentucky. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is photography. Employment is recorded with National Geographic. Distinctions recorded are International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum and honorary doctor of the University of Toledo.
Abell was born in Sylvania, Ohio. His father, a geography teacher, ran a photography club. In his book The Photographic Life, Abell mentions a photograph he made while on an outing with his father, a photograph that subsequently won a small prize in a photo contest. He credits that prize as being a major influence on the direction his life would take. Abell graduated B.A. from the University of Kentucky in English in 1969. He is also a teacher, artist and author. He began to work for National Geographic in 1976. He received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the University of Toledo in 2009. The Life of a Photograph is one of a three-volume series begun in 2000 with Seeing Gardens. It was followed in 2002 with The Photographic Life. In 2024, Sam received the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Photo Society, and was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1945
Sam Abell was born on 19 February 1945.
2002
Sam Abell:The Photographic Life (2002) is digitised and catalogued by Open Library.
Publications by Sam Abell
Publications by Sam Abell
• Amazonia, Sam Abell, 2010 • The Life of A Photograph, Sam Abell, 2008 • Seeing Gardens (National Geographic), Sam Abell, 2000
Collaborative Publications
Collaborative Publications
• Stay This Moment: Photographs of Sam Abell, Sam Abell and Robert E. Gilka, 1990
Sam Abell (2016) taken in San Miguel de Allende by Christopher Michel
Christopher Michel
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Sam Abell”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2216332: Sam Abell
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.C.J. Bucher. Camera. 14. 1976.
- 2.Sam Abell. RKD Research.
- 3.Phaidon Press staff. The Photography Book. Phaidon Press. 8. 30 April 2000. 978-0-7148-3937-0.
- 4.A to Z List. www.utoledo.edu.
- 5.Sam Abell - The Los Angeles Center of Photography. lacphoto.org.
- 6.HOF-Inductee-Sam-Abell. International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum.
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Citations
References
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Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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